My Top 12 Photos

I chose these for their mix of how I feel about their technical aspects as well as how much I personally enjoyed taking them and because I feel like these condense the story I was trying to tell well.

                                     

                                                 

Mondays At Westport Are A Bummer

The whole mood at Westport bars on a Monday night is one you'd expect, it was empty and sad.

Most bars were almost completely empty and the only people in there seemed to know the workers really well. Guess they go there a lot.

Found it eerie at times with how empty the streets could get.

Then missed the eerietimes when people like this guy came up to me. He was absolutely hammered by 11 P.M and kept talking about how he's been a photographer for 30 years and wanted to mentor me. He said all of that and more while accidentally nibbling on a cigarette and spitting because of it.

This is him with a bartender who kicked him out of wherever he worked. The bartender was trying to force him into a cab but the guy was too drunk to remember his address.

The absence of people made me take a closer look at the buildings and signs and how cool the whole look to Westport is.

Monday nights is also the time a few bars close and get sprayed for pests

This was one of the few places that had a decent amount of the people, and everyone I saw coming in and out throughout the night seemed to have gone for a country band that was playing there.

A whole lot more people were smoking this night then the Friday night I went.

This guy was trying to use a light up hula hoop a street performer handed him and he couldn't move his hips for the life of him.

This was the highlight of the night. Someone was walking their dog and she was an absolute sweetheart and was super soft.

I wanted to take more up close photos of people and events but either the people would cuss at me as soon as I reached for my camera and not lighten up when I explained I was an art student, or the moment was too personal and hard for the person so I didn't feel right taking a photo. This experience already got me tired of bars and I just turned 18.

The Bar Scene At Westport

This guy came up to me and started talking to me about photography, he really wants to end up doing some nature photography and is saving up to do more of it. With how much he loved talking about it, I really think he'll go through with it.

These two guys had such a hardcore bro-mance, it was great. I caught them in a bro-ment and it was a blast because I ended up in both their snapchats. (mine Snapchat name is chrisisdabestyo btw)

I took a photo of these guys and then they wanted to chat for a while. They hadn't been to Westport in 15 years and felt incredibly out of place. Both had been there for their friends retirement from Kansas City Health Insurance. (where they work too) We talked about what life is like here, the kind of things I should look out for, and what they loved about the city. We probably talked for 45 minutes before they had to take the 20 minute drive back to the area they live. Don't worry the guy on the right was sober and his friends DD.

The guys from the previous photo pointed out this dude riding through the streets and said, "That would make a sweet photo!" It did.

The guy raising his hand up owns a bike shop in town and gave me his email address to send him this photo, they were all on a long night bike ride I guess.

I  came across a bachelorette party that was bar hopping and before I could ask if i could take a picture she was already posing, and yes I did sign it after I was done.

This guy and his friend were a blast. We talked a bunch about movies and the town while they waited for their friend Chris. He wanted me to recommend two places in KC to you all. Green Room is a bar that has really good 6$ burgers so it's a great place to hang out or get drunk. He says it has a lot of regulars so it feels like a bar from a T.V show or something. Him and his friend also said that Up Down KC is an incredible bar/arcade and that the roof of it is a prefect place to take a tinder date because it has a great view of the city. (I later googled it and it's true)

This photo shows what you'll find at the bars a lot. People parked in no parking zones (I saw at least 2 cars get towed that night) and bars that are packed shoulder to shoulder.

These are the first two people to ask me to take a photo of them, and they weren't even drunk, just outgoing and nice.

Someone yelled "Theres a camera! Take our picture!" So I took their picture. The two on the left were pretty drunk incase you can't tell. All three were super nice and were just looking to have fun after a long week.

I don't even think these two knew the guy in the window. They just saw him do something funny and started recording him on snapchat and when he noticed he started twerking. He wasn't half bad.

This photo isn't technically great, but I really love it. I was talking to one of the members of the jazz band when two girls came up and started hula dancing. It was completely random, they danced well, didn't say a word to any of us, and then ran off. I'm really glad I got to capture that moment with my camera, even if I didn't capture it well.

A little more then halfway through the night I stopped by Joe's Pizza which is on the same street as all the bars and it was super tasty. By the end of the night their line was out the door.

This chick was soooooo drunk. She was slamming the drummers symbols as her friend tried tearing her away but she was insistent on playing with them. Her friend said she'd leave her there if she didn't stop so she started to walk away from the drums, but as soon as she saw the sax she completely forgot about her friend and had to shove her fist in it. She stayed like that for about two and a half minutes while the guy kept playing.

The woman making out with the guy totally squeezed his butt.

This guy walked up to me and just stuck that pose. Didn't say a word. I took the picture and he just nodded and walked away.

This was closer to the end of the night and shows that the fun and craziness at Westport does come to an end and what it has to offer and usually will only last you till 3 A.M.

This guy couldn't walk in a strait line. I asked him if he was ok and he just looked at me really confused and stumbled off. That's when I took the photo.

This guy got arrested for what I think was disorderly conduct. The officers and him talked for about 15 minutes before they cuffed him. Dude was way too calm for someone who was getting arrested.

This is my favorite photo from the night. The man gave the drummer 10$ to have the jazz group keep playing so he could dance with the woman. They had a blast and I couldn't stop smiling at how nice the moment was. The drummer wasn't phased and just kept smoking as he drummed with one hand. Guess he's used to it all.

The bars at Westport are full of life and energy. Sure there was some people who got too drunk and were sad, but they were the anomalies of the night. Overall I met a ton of great people who were all there for one very important reason, to have fun for the night. And their mentality is what makes this area amazing. If you're ever bored on a weekend night (and you're over 21) I'd really recommend checking this place out. Just make sure not to get too drunk.

Funeral Cortege, End of an Era in a Small Valley Town, California, 1938

This photo stood out to me because I love that the car window creates a frame within the photo and the cloud reflection on it creates an almost frosting look. It creates a barrier between us and her that brings this feeling of disconnection. The shadows combined with her covering part of her face also hide a lot of features that might tell us more about how she's feeling. Her main feature that might give us a glimpse as to how she is feeling is her eyes. She's staring right at us but she doesn't look particularly sad or angry despite being at a funeral. She looks almost tired if anything. There's nothing in the photo that suggests the car is moving so she's just sitting there. This photo says a lot but just leaves more questions for me. What is she thinking about? How close is she to whomever died? Does she look the way she does because she's had to come to a lot of these? This is a photo you could stare at for hours and keep coming up with new explanations that would only bring on more questions.

Nate Lewis is pretty cool and here is why

Nate Lewis is a bike riding warrior for good who pushes himself to the limit and loves coffee. The thing that Nate likes to do the most is ride his bike, it's his tool to see the world in ways many of us move too fast to appreciate. He soaks it all in on his two bikes (one casual and one a mountain bike) and has ridden for hours on end. He is a firm believer that people need to be good because if we want the world to get any better, the change starts with us. He has a tattoo on his leg of a snake moving around an arrow, this is from a biking company and represents pushing yourself to get through the hardships life puts you through both emotionally and physically. And finally, the dude loves coffee. He even has a french press in his room and will kindly offer you some if you swing by. I think it might be an excuse to make himself one, but still kind and hospitable none the less. I'd probably give him a 10/10 on the cool dude scale.